editEase – A jQuery CMS Solution
A huge selling point for clients is to give them the ability to manage their own websites. With CMS solutions like Drupal, Joomla!, and WordPress, its easy for clients to manage their large sites on their own. However, often times I develop small 4 or 5 page websites that will remain mostly static. In these cases, it really seems like overkill to have a database driven site just to give the client an option to update their site at some point in the future. For one, these content management systems can be overwhelming to the casual updater and secondly, it adds more time, and therefore money, to development costs.
So the other day I was looking for a solution to this problem, and I stumbled upon editEase. It easily takes a once static site, and creates “ajaxified” clickable content areas. What was once a block of text, now becomes an editable text area. Its intuitive, easy to use, and fast at making site updates.
EditEase obviously isn’t an ideal solution for larger sites, but it sure seems to do the trick for those small, once static, web sites.
UPDATE
I only meant to bring this script to the attention of others. However, some people have felt that it is some how my fault that it doesn’t work as easily as one might hope. If I was taking credit for editease, that would be understandable. BUT, just to be a helpful web developer, Im going to be posting some better instructions in the next week (I hope) than what editease itself offers.
October 5th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Hello,
I wonder if you would mind explaining how to use and install editease?
Thanks,
Phil
October 21st, 2008 at 8:10 am
Basic Install Instructions:
* required: jQuery (1.2.6) – thickbox (3.1)
* Load all files into a directory at root level (it just makes it easier)
* Make sure that the above 2 required jQuery scripts are included and working
* If installed at root level as ee, then you only need to edit the
config.php page with the full path otherwise….
“Small customisations in the config.php and editease.jquery.js this for (paths, user access details, pages that can be edited etc..) For tweaking the editor functions please also update tiny_mce.php (notes on that page)”
* CHMOD 777 or 757 your includes directory and files in it you wish to edit
* Reference editease.jquery.js (or the .pack version) on each editable page
that file does not have to be in the editEase set of files (although copies
are kept there so you know where to find it)
* Add the activate script to the head of the pages you wish to edit
* thats it
activate script-on each page that you want to edit (thats all)
$(document).ready(function(){
// load editEase login link and data into the page
$(selector).editease();
});
November 6th, 2008 at 7:58 am
You suck, sure copy paste the already crappy instructions, what about a good explanation, like for instance, what do you have to do in order to install editease in a location other then the root.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
You have a way with words zed
You should probably take out your frustration on the writer of the script, not me! I just wanted to raise awareness of the script, not trouble shoot for you 
January 4th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Joshua, no good deed goes unpunished.
March 17th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Hi Joshua
Thanks for highlighting editease – looks very good.
Has anybody found comprehensive installation instructions or worked it out yet.
Regards
Keith D
March 20th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Hey Keith, I have gotten editease working on a production site. I haven’t looked for any better instructions lately, but if you cant get it working with the existing instructions I can do my best to offer any tips along the way
April 21st, 2009 at 10:40 am
Hi Josh
Sorry to bother you …i’ve tried to install other than the root no chance.
Do you have any idea how to do this … the domain will be http://localhost/editease.
Best regards
May 9th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Hi Joshua
Good to hear that you have got editease up and running.
Any chance that you could post something about how you did it?
Perhaps along the lines of explaining more fully the author’s original instructions…. I’d love to implement it on I site.
Many thanks
Keith D
June 1st, 2009 at 12:17 am
The instructions seem fine. There is only one part that I don’t understand. What does he mean when he says” Reference editease.jquery.js (or the .pack version) on each editable page”?
thanks
June 4th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Sorry for the slow reply. I will try to post an in depth tutorial soon since many people seem to want this.
June 4th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Good news Joshua
An in depth tutorial would be great.
There are lots of us struggling out there and I would certainly link to a good tutorial.
Many thanks.
June 5th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Hi there, found this blog comment looking over some stats.
“My bad”. Apologies to you Josh for taking flack over trying to help people understand the plugin that I knocked together. Looking back at it all I have to admit that the instructions I wrote were assuming way too much. Particularly with all the emails from non English speaking users who really found what I was writing hard to follow.
The script is getting a little long in the tooth now, I wrote it back in 2007, and I do have to admit it was created more as a way to prove a concept than to end up with a life of its own. Am working on an update at the moment as a final revision for the current script, and of course a new version incorporating tips/tricks I have learnt since 2007.
Attention will be paid to the install instructions, as someone emailed me: ‘please make it as easy as word press’. Will also try 2 different ways of editing to enable include editing (similar to current) and editing snippets of plain .htm/.html pages for those very simple sites.
Moving house this month so between packing/un-packing and normal work will see what can be done to make the old script easier to follow before I finalise the next attempt.
Cheers, Stephen
June 9th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Joshua / Stephen
It’s looking better and better.
Can’t wait for the new script and instructions.
I’ll keep visiting for updates.
Good luck on the house move Stephen and well done for persevering Joshua.
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:36 am
hi Joshua / Stephen,
I am so very interested in editease jquery plugin, and try to follow your instruction of how to install them. and it does not work for me. May be i missed something on the instructions.
If you have a free time please post a a little more specific instructions and actual examples of installation of this plugin. Im sorry for my incorrect grammar.
Thanks & more power..
September 7th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Hi Joshua,
I read the comments above and I would like to tell you that I like your script. Installation worked always fine and using it was transparent and easy. I was digging really deep into it and I think it is a smart concept, although I see some limitations. Finally I decided not to use it on a production site because of two reasons: a) I don’t want to use Thickbox, b) I am using AJAX on several sites and that way I can’t add the web-pages for editing in the configuration file. The main file is always index.php and I am replacing the content via AJAX in a container. To support that would have required too many changes in your script. Seen from a marketing perspective the name of the project is not inviting. I would rename it with the next update. I own the domain jquerycms.com. You could use this name. You can be sure that you will get a lot of attention then with your script. Conclusion: I see a lot of potential in your project, please keep up the good work.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Hi people, finally updated the script with a few tweaks, better WYSIWYG editor, cleaner modal windows and importantly a very simple ‘Installation Script’.
Hope that helps anyone still following this old thread.
Cheers, Stephen
November 28th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Thanks for the update Stephen. Im sure many people will be very happy